National Republican., 1887-03-23
Cooperation the Cure for Labor Trou-
blea.

No effort can be made for the good Of the
people that demagogues do not at once
sieze upon the idea, IL It promises much
all the more quickly, and endeavor to wrest
It from the original channel and turn 1t TO
their own benefit.
This has been the trouble with most
II not all of the organizations started
for the benefit OF the men and women who
do manual labor for wages. The idea OF
association for mutual benefit is q sound
one, It is the very corner stone Of society,
civilization, and government, and could not
fail within proper limitations to be bene-
fetal to the workingmen who originated It.
But so soon as societies OF this class were
started and their power was demonstrated,
efforts have been made by improper and
irresponsible men to secure footholds in
them, and by those arts known to that class
to divert them in many instances from their
good and legitimate purposes to evil and
illegitimate ones.
There Is one kind OF association now be-
ing brought prominently before the public,
through the bill introduced by Senator STAN
ford, that IL will be difficult, II not impossl-
BILE, for those pestilent fellows to handle,
and that is the "lndustrlal Co operative
Society,"
Some of these agItators have quickly
discovered this fact and are accordingly
opposing the plan Of co operation suy-
gested, but their opposition will be without
effect. The plans proposed we're so simple,
so easy Of comprehension, and the results
so certain that the people only need to be
informed as to them to at once adopt and
carry them into effect.
One Of the so called leaders sneers at
the idea Of savlng-at the "Poor Richard"
side Of Benjamin Franklin; says that "the
resistance to cheese-paring economy in
the ranks Of American labor has grown
from ideas far worthier than those that
belong to improyidence," and by this kind
Of talk endeavors to prevent industrial co
operation.
| "Cheese-pariDg economy" is not q part OF
the plan suggested, only that economy
which comes Of complete and perfect owner
ship In one's own labor, and the result OF
that labor, is proposed. This is that liberal
economy which expends to save whenever
expenditure is necessary for that purpose
Cooperation in labor means economy, be-
cause none Of the results OF labor go to add
to any ones accumulated capital, and this
kind of economy secures to those who use
1t all the necessaries, most Of the comforts
and many Of the elegancies Of life.
Every laboring man and woman In this
country produces enough each year to pro-
vide comfortable subsistence and large
balance over. This is proven by the
rapidly increasing wealth OF the country
and by the fact that labor not only adds
thus largely to capital each year, but sup.
duce nothing.
The system Of cooperation in labor once
generally adopted, the class OF people whc
iyeupon the labor of others-and by this we
do not mean the men OF weath-will have
to work for their own living. Some Of
them are smart enough to see this, aud
consequently oppose co operation.
But this opposition cannot affect the
result The question is now before thu
people of the country, and is being dis
cussed more Or less intelligently every
where, and it will require but short II NJ
for clear understanding Of the proposed
plan to secure its almost universal adoption
Its advantages are SO easily seen that al
Efforts TO belittle them will fail, and one o
these advantages will be that the anarchist
the socialist, aud the agitator will no longe
find an audience among the genuine work
ing men and women OF the country.